SHOULD FACEBOOK AND TWITTER BE REGULATED UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT?

October 11, 2017

DONALD TRUMP’S TWITTER account now has 40 million followers. It ranks 21st worldwide among 281.3 million or so accounts. It’s no secret that Trump is proud of his ability to use the account to communicate directly with his constituents. This summer, the president tweeted, “My use of social media is not Presidential—it’s MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL.” He meant that his tweets are official statements of the president of the United States. The National Archives concurs: It says they must be preserved under the Presidential Records Act. When Trump’s aides have tweeted about the president’s agenda, they have referred to it as the agenda of @realDonaldTrump.